Last week saw two very popular 3D modeling software tools receive major upgrades.
blender
Book of the Week: Blender for Dummies
This week’s selection is “Blender for Dummies” by Jason van Gumster.
Blender Gains CAD Functions!
At long last, it appears that Blender will soon be able to perform proper CAD functions.
Question of the Week: How To Get 3D Models For Printing?
This week’s question is about obtaining or making 3D models for printing.
Blender Upgraded to 3.0, But Is It Good For 3D Printing?
Blender has been upgraded to 3.0 by the Blender Foundation.
Book of the Week: Blender 3D By Example
This week’s selection is “Blender 3D By Example” by Oscar Baechler and Xury Greer.
Apple Joins Blender Development Fund
The Blender Foundation announced that Apple has joined their development fund.
Book of the Week: The Complete Guide to Blender Graphics
This week’s selection is “The Complete Guide to Blender Graphics: Computer Modeling & Animation” by John M. Blain.
Microsoft Officially Joins Blender Foundation
Microsoft has officially joined the Blender Foundation Development Fund, a group that supports the open source 3D modeling tool Blender.
An Unusual Method To Capture Global Scenes In 3D
A software hack allows export of 3D data from Google Maps for use in other 3D modeling programs.
The New Tesla Cybertruck is Dang Easy to Model in Blender
How hard is it to design the new Tesla Cybertruck in 3D? One designer tried to do so in Blender.
Is Blender 2.8 Suitable for 3D Printing?
Blender is upgraded to v2.8. Does this mean it is suitable for making 3D printable 3D models? We look at the pros and cons of the new software system.
Vicky Somma: “3D Printing Has Become The Culmination Of My Crafting Mindset”
Vicky Somma is the author of Blender 3D Printing by Example and teaches classes on TinkerCAD, OpenSCAD, Blender, Cura, and 3D Printing at libraries and local colleges.
Should You Use Blender for 3D Printing? i.Materialise Thinks So
3D print service i.materialise published a pretty decent guide showing how to prepare 3D print files using Blender, but we’re wondering if Blender is the right tool for the job.
Jewelry Design Tutorial In Blender
Did you have in mind a fantastic design for a ring that you’d like to 3D print? Perhaps you’d be interested in watching a 55 minute tutorial on the basics of 3D jewelry design, specifically for 3D printing. The tutorial uses the open source 3D design tool Blender, which is available for… Continue reading Jewelry Design Tutorial In Blender
Blender 2.57 Is Official
Popular (and free) 3D modeling tool Blender is now version 2.57, as per the official release in April. This tool is very often used by consumer designers and makers to produce solid models for 3D printing. Blender sometimes gets a bad rap due to its rather difficult learning curve. But if you can get through… Continue reading Blender 2.57 Is Official
Poor Man’s 3D Printing: The Design
So you want to start 3D printing, but you have no money? It is possible to do 3D printing without much cash, and for starters you’d need to prepare your 3D model for printing. But how to do this without cash? Two ways: simply use a 3D model from a well-stocked repository or design a… Continue reading Poor Man’s 3D Printing: The Design
WYSIWYG 3D Printing
Shapeways has taken a step to ease the design process by using Blender to render images of 3D models. This addition to their service permits users to have a reasonably close peek at what their printed object might look like after emerging from Shapeways fleet of 3D printers. The problem up till now has been… Continue reading WYSIWYG 3D Printing
Blender 2.5 Alpha 1 Released
Many 3D modellers use the free Blender package if they can’t afford the sometimes expensive commercial 3D modelling software options. While Blender is rather complete functionally, it has long had a reputation of being difficult to learn. This could be about to change with the introduction of their new version, 2.5. A new alpha release… Continue reading Blender 2.5 Alpha 1 Released
Prepping for 3D Printing
Shapeways published an excellent article describing several tips for preparing your Blender file for 3D printing, specifically for using the Shapeways printing service. The article explains how to fix non-manifold vertices, handling overlapping objects and output scaling, and are good tips even if you aren’t using Shapeways. Via Shapeways